Tuesday, June 26, 2012

In the wake of much public outcry from the tens and tens of
people who read The Sable Arm, an update from your humble blogospondent:

Greetings and happy summer to everyone!

I apologize for the dearth of posts over the past three
months – life has been crazy as of late.

I’ve had the privilege of working at Arlington House: The Robert E. Lee Memorial since May and I’ve had a blast delving into the history
of America’s most hallowed ground. For those of you who may be interested, we
will be commemorating the 181st anniversary of the marriage of Mary
Custis to God’s Second Son (Robert E. Lee to you mere mortals) this Saturday
with period dancing, burnt sacrifices and offerings to Ole Marse Robert, and
more!

OK, I lied about the whole sacrifice thing, but it will
still be a great event…

Also going into effect soon will be a Civil War tour led by
yours truly that will explore the history of Arlington House during the Civil
War and visit the graves of such Civil War luminaries as John Gibbon, Phil
Sheridan, Johnny Clem, Fighting Joe Wheeler, EOC Ord, Hiram Berdan, Phil Kearny
and more!

One fascinating aspect of working at Arlington House is
getting to know the little-told tale of Freedman’s Village, a contraband camp
that was transformed into the first home that thousands of former slaves would
live in as free people until it was shut down by the government in 1900.

In terms of the USCT story, over 1,500 USCTs are buried in sections
27, 23, and 13 including Medal of Honor recipients from New Market Heights. In
addition, Fort Corcoran, training ground of the 107th USCT (seen
below in this famous photograph) was located on the former grounds of the estate
that Robert E. Lee knew as home for 30 years.

I hope to post more on Freedmen’s Village and United States
Colored Troops buried at Arlington in the near future, but until then please
stop by and say hey.

“Jimmy's book is excellent and highly recommended! …The honor was mine in being able to work with this fine author.” - Don Troiani, Historical Artist

“Thanks to Mr. Price’s diligent research, students of the war finally have a volume that details one of the most important, if not the most important, moments in United States African American military history.” - Jim Lighthizer, President, Civil War Trust

Buy a Copy of My Book!

Disclaimer

The views expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not reflect those of any group, organization, or institution.

About Me

Jimmy Price is a Museum Education Specialist with the US Army Women's Museum. An Air Force veteran, he received his M.A. in Military History from Norwich University in 2009. His first book, The Battle of NewMarket Heights: Freedom Will Be Theirs by the Sword, was published in 2011. The Journal of Southern History claims “this slim volume offers considerable insight regarding the black military experience.” His second book, The Battle of First Deep Bottom was released to critical acclaim in 2014. Jimmy writes about different aspects of military history on his blogs Freedom by the Sword: A Historian’s Journey through the American Civil War Era andOver There: Blogging the AEF and WWI. He has contributed essays to A Companion to the Meuse-Argonne Campaign (edited by Edward G. Lengel), Hallowed Groundmagazine, and the International Encyclopedia of the First World War. He lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia with his wife and three children.